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2009-03-27T09:59:00.001-07:00

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Prejudism and Racism: Revisited

2009-03-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

With the grand historical event of voting in a black man into the Presidency of America, the issue of color rises afresh in the news and media.

You see instances of both ends of the spectrum. One end uses it as an excuse or reason to place certain people of color in certain positions of power, regardless of the qualifications of others whom may not be of the same color. The other end sees it as a showing of true American spirit where any person, no matter what their race, can achieve the highest of goals which in turn, denounces the pleadings and protestations of minority races who somehow declare that they are entitled to certain retributions for deeds done to their ancestors...simply because they are related to those ancestors.

America is indeed a land of opportunity, for any person, of any gender, race, religion or lifestyle. Why people still try to declare one race above any other baffles me. Here we are in a glorious country where everyone is to be treated equal and fairly, and yet, people continue to insist on being treated in such ways that make things unfair. Our society is grossly lopsided in perspective. We see injustice and make great leaps to right the wrongs. But in doing so we create new wrongs and injustices. With all the flailing about trying to fix things so everyone is happy, we have left our society, our politics and our economy in tatters.

We have to realize we can't make everyone happy at the same time, but we can make a majority happy. Therefore it is time to choose the "right" people to please. For far too long we have been catering to all who cry foul, even if those people are of an illegal status. With this complacency we have then allowed our country to become overrun with illelal immigrants. Now their numbers throng so high that we are loathe to ignore their pleas. It is our fault in the first place that their numbers were allowed to grow so swiftly beneath our noses. We should have realized long ago that there is a loophole in the law that deems a child born in the US is automatically a US citizen. There should have been a stipulation that applies that law only to those parents whom are in the process of becoming a US citizen themselves. Why should a law of the US citizens apply to a person who is of an illegal status? It is like giving freedom to a criminal guilty of vicious and horrible crimes. This is in no way implying that illegal immigrants are vicious criminals, it is merely a comparison of metaphorical capacities.

We should certainly not condone mistreatment of illegal immigrants, nor do should we think them beneath any legal US citizen as far as being human and deserving HUMAN rights. It is just that they should not be given US citizen rights, including access to welfare, health insurance, and voting privileges. Unless they prove that they are in the process of becoming a LEGAL US citizen - only then should they be given those rights.

When Wealthy, Don't Live Wealthy

2008-06-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

If in your lifetime, you happen to become wealthy, take care not to LIVE wealthy, as it is far too inconsiderate to society as well as yourself.

If you watch the shows about the rich and famous, you will see lavish decor, spacious accomodations, beautiful gourmet foods - and absolutely ridiculous prices.

If you are a middle-classer (or lower) then you have learned to budget, to price compare, and to NOT buy what you don't need, and most of all - to buy where it is the cheapest for the best quality.

Just because you become wealthy, does not mean you have to start living lavishly. Instead, keep your habits the same and follow these guidelines:

If you enjoy your job - continue to work. Maybe cut your hours back if possible. Having a job sets an example for your children. You don't want them to get the idea that they may not have to work to live. If you don't like your job - create one out of home. There are lots of out of home possiblities. Now that you have the money to invest in one, choose one, or make your own. Everyone has dreams of doing something - follow it - whether it be writing a book, investing in real estate, making things and selling them or running a charity.

Upgrade your car, a new car is always nice to have, there's less maintenance costs, better gas mileage and of course it just looks nice too. Get a new work car - but keep it small and economical. After all, it's just for going back and forth to work. No need to get a Lexus or Jaguar just because you can afford it. Unless of course, they are getting the best gas mileage or least amount of maintenance - or other economical reason.

Get a family vehicle (assuming you have a family). A new car for the family is nice, for the same reasons as the work car, but also because you can now get a roomier vehicle. One that fits the family comfortably and has room for cargo. Again no need to go luxury brand, unless it's the most economical overall.

As for kids, if they are of driving age, make them earn their car. Don't just buy whatever they want. Make them work for half the amount of the car, and match what they earn. Then buy a used car for their first vehicle. Because the first car is going to get beat up - even if your child is not a drag racer or wild driver. The probability that something will happen in their first couple years of driving is pretty high - they are inexperienced. After a couple years with a good driving record, then consider assisting them in purchasing a new car. Of course, they'll need a steady job to foot the payments. You don't want your kids to become spoiled and not learn the difficulties of real living. So it is best to teach them while they are still under your roof (and under your protection) so that if they falter, you can be there to support them while they build themselves back up.

Upgrade your house - but keep it within normal upper middle-class limits. Make it roomy for the family, but don't have countless extraneous rooms. A large yard is nice - so a nice ranch or plantation type property where you have lots of land may fall in to order. Of course if your dreams are to own a property where you can run a bed and breakfast, or a private artistic or vacation retreat, then go ahead and get a place with lots of rooms or guest houses.

Create an emergency account - and put a substantial amount in it. This money will be used only for emergencies - such as car repairs, house repairs, appliance repairs or replacements. If you continue to have an income, put in a little every month to always ensure money is in that account.

Create accounts for the kids. Savings/Trust funds to be released to them when they are mature enough (note MATURE enough, not the same as OLD enough. Go by maturity and responsibility level, not age). College funds should be kept separate.

Put a substantial amount in a high yielding savings account. And try not to touch it! This way your money continues to earn MORE money over the years.

Well, everyone wants to travel - but don't go crazy - maybe make a vacation account that will be used 1-3 times every year to go on a nice vacation. Pick a new place every time and eventually you will see the world!

Buy a vacation home - if you have one place you enjoy a lot for a relaxing getaway - buy a place there. It doesn't have to be as big as your regular home - it's just for vacations. Remember your roots - maybe just get a nice vacation trailer in a quiet campground resort. There is nothing wrong with staying in a comfortable and clean trailer with all the utilities.

Avoid the wealthy. Wealthy people will pressure you into buying wealthy and behaving wealthy. The cheap things in life are not good enough for them, they will push you to buy expensive brands, expensive food, and expensive clothes. We all know that is not necessary. A $30 dress from Walmart is just as good as a $1000 dress from some famous designer. Think about what you do with it - you wear it. Do you want to wear $1000 and fret about getting it stained or ripped thereby wasting all that money? Or would you rather feel free and comfortable sitting around in a nice looking $30 dress that isn't such a big deal if it gets accidentally stained or torn. It's alright to splurge now and then - but remember to keep it real!

No need to join Country Clubs or other wealthy clubs of exclusivity. There are plenty of golf courses that you don't have to belong to the club to play.

All in all, keep your lifestyle the same. It will be more enjoyable that way. You can live life peacefully and most of all - comfortably. Because you are wealthy you don't fret about money and bills. But still set an example for your kids with your work (in or out of home). Because life doesn't always treat you right, and they should learn that early. They shouldn't grow up flaunting their wealth. Instead, let them grow up with the other middle-class kids and learn about the realities of life and society. Life will be better for them that way.

The Golden Compass; Freedom of Speech and Religion

2007-12-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

I find it highly unfortunate that there is such a controversy going on about this movie. I have not seen it yet, nor have I read the books. But based on the information I have gleaned from the internet the story is thus:

The Golden Compass is a movie based on the first book of a series written by an atheist, Philip Pullman. He is very open about his beliefs and does not hide the fact that his series is about killing God. I can see how this is clearly upsetting to Christians and other believers of God. I also understand that Christians believe it is their duty to spread the Word of God and think they must speak out against these things. However....where to start?

Let's approach Freedom of Religion first.

It must be taken into consideration that we live in a world of free will where all have the natural right to believe and voice what they want to. God himself gave us that free will. He does not force us to believe in Him, but rather gives us the opportunity to do so. Yes, Christians are told to go out and spread His Word, however this should not be construed as to force Christianity upon all. Every human has their own free will, therefore they all must be allowed to choose their own path. The Christian duty is to spread the Word...that is fine, voice your beliefs out loud, in this you do your duty of spreading the Word. However do not force others to only believe what you believe for this then becomes oppression. By speaking or writing your beliefs openly, you provide the information necessary for someone to make their own decision on whether to choose the path of God. Therefore you have offered the opportunity to believe in God to others...as you should. It is then up to the individual to decide for themselves whether or not to believe in God. This also means that if someone chooses NOT to believe in God, even after we have offered the Word, then we must respect that decision. Just as we ALSO must respect that they have the right to voice their beliefs too. After all, how can someone make a proper decision without knowing both sides first?

Freedom of Speech
This goes hand in hand with Freedom of Religion. We, as humans with free will, also have the right to voice what we think or believe, no matter what those thoughts or beliefs may be. And this right applies to EVERYONE. So even though one opinion may be supported by the vast majority, and that majority is very loud...we must respect the minority's right to voice their opinions as well. We should not suppress the minority simply because it is against the majority's view. To do so is also oppression.

America's Freedoms
For those of you who bring up the point that America was built on belief in God, remember this: the founding fathers came to America to be free from oppression of religion. This then means that we should not oppress others in their beliefs. America was built on the eclectic cultures of many different parts of the world, so how can we pinpoint only 1 as the true belief?

To Each His Own
Each individual who sees this movie will come out of it with their own opinion or view. We should all enter with the idea not to judge the movie for it's author's beliefs, but to judge it simply as another fantasy adventure movie. For in all essence, that is all it is. A viewer who goes into this movie not knowing any of the background or controversy, shall come out of it as having seen another special effect filled fantasy adventure flick. Just as any who went to see Narnia without knowing its allusion to Christianity, would also come out of it as seeing another cool film. (I myself, having read the Narnia series as a child, did not even know of the correlation until the movie came out and I heard all the hubbub).

Also realize that the more controversy you create, the more likely people are going to go see it just to see what all the hype is about. Whereas if we simply allowed the movie to pass along like all the other films, everyone would just view it as a plain old movie. Then those who are knowledgable about the background can choose to voice their opinions and beliefs to their children, family and social circles, whether those views be for or against the film.

Just the let the film be a film.

Intelligence and Knowledge

2007-07-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

All too often we automatically assume that people who work the really grimy and disgusting jobs such as the sewers, garbage, janitorial and etc., are less intelligent than ourselves. This is a gross case of bad judgement. We should not look down upon those who work the jobs that we would never touch. And we should not assume that they are any less intelligent then ourselves. Without knowing them personally, we do not know what their reasons are for being in those careers.

Even if they do not have the schooling we have had, thereby making them less academically knowledgeable, we should never declare them less intelligent. Academic knowledge is not the only way to measure intelligence. Intelligence is not how much information you have absorbed from textbooks or school, but rather how well you are able to gather information from life and the world around you. It is also the ability to use this information to benefit yourself and/or others.

As well, a person who may not speak as eloquently or fluently as the average person, should not be automatically labelled as dumb. Their brain could be working furiously even if their mouth doesn't work properly.

We all know the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." and it's ever so true. Never judge someone until you get to know them. You would be amazed at the insights you can get from the people you'd never expect them from.

When in Power, Beware of Trust and Loyalty

2007-03-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

If you ever find yourself in a position of power, be very wary of whom you trust. All too often in stories where kings, queens, sultans or other rulers meet their downfall...it is because they put all their trust into one loyal advisor.

Loyalty is wonderful and when you can find one person who is ultimately loyal to you, it seems like a grand thing. But unfortunately, power corrupts, and even the most loyal person can become selfish or led astray to walk the wrong paths. Imagine you are the the king's most trusted advisor. This in essence, is really the most powerful position! For if you have the ear of the king, and he ultimately does what you advise him to do...just think of the possibilities! Oh sure, it starts out innocently enough, with just small favors and tokens. But being human, emotions run rampant at times and rash decisions are made. If you have the access to do powerful things (via the king) very bad things could start happening, and all in the name of the king, or country, or people while in the truth they are in the name of your own selfish desires. And once you start down that hill, it's very hard to stop!

Imagine then that you are the king. If you put all your trust into one person, they can be feeding you anything they want you to believe. If you do not have other perspectives, opinions, or go out and see for yourself, you have no way of proving or disproving anything your advisor tells you. Of course, the relationship doesn't start that way. Oh no, in the beginning it'll be pure and true. Your advisor is loyal to you and cares about you and the country. But then as you entrust him with more and more, he begins to realize the true power he holds and starts to use it for his own purposes. He then becomes blinded to his true purpose and feeds his own desires eventually to the point where he believes his own wants are for the good of the people.

How then do you avoid such an inevitable downfall? In the world of humans it is dependent upon the people around you, and the situations.

One idea is, have at least 3 advisors. 1 whom you know if loyal only to you, 1 whom is strongly loyal to the country, and 1 who wants only what is good for the people. It may also be beneficial if they don't get along with each other. In this way, you should be able to receive information, opinions and perspectives from 3 different angles. And there is less chance that they would conspire with each other to control you. As well, you could have each one keeping an eye on the other. This could work and it could also cause discord and havoc within your information team, so it would have to be expertly executed, the people well-chosen.

So, if you are the king, don't set all your trust in one place ("don't put all your eggs in one basket")

And if you happen to be the advisor to the king, don't let him place all his trust in you, for that is just as dangerous as if you were the king.

God and Humans; Good vs. Evil

2006-07-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend the thought struck me that God logically is not pure good as he is so popularly considered. Think about when He created the Earth. If indeed he created all living things upon this earth, why is it that they were not all good creatures if they're creator was pure good? If God, in his perfect goodness created the earth, the earth itself could not be evil, and therefore evil could not infect the creatures upon the earth.

Therefore, logically, God is not pure good, but rather in perfect balance. Yin-Yang. It makes sense. If God created earth and all it's creatures, than it is logical that He in his ultimate wisdom understood the necessity of balance between Good and Evil to retain order in life. And so He created creatures of good as well as evil.

With this concept then, we can understand why the serpent had the idea to trick Eve, and why Eve was able to be tricked. In each of us lies the potential to be Good, Evil or in perfect balance. Although I do not think a creature of earth can be in perfect balance, because that would be, well...perfect. I think there are many who come close, but never PERFECT. Throughout our lifetime we can be swayed by events and our actions to lean toward one side or the other.

This also explains why the world became so evil that God felt he needed to wipe it clean. With the potential to be either good or evil within every creature, evidently the majority of creatures began to lean toward evil.

Now note that after God wiped the earth clean, he then promised to never flood the whole earth again. Thus Revelations was created as a prediction of when the Earth will once again be overtaken by Evil and God will need to intervene.

As far as tragic events upon this earth, floods, hurricanes and the like. I do not think that God or the Devil specifically trigger these events. But lean toward the idea that it is a concentration of good or evil karma within the affected areas that will cause the earth to react in such a way.

I do not think we should go around blaming God or the Devil for everything that seems to go wrong. We should live life realizing that our actions indeed affect not only ourselves, but everything around us. And we should take to heart which side of Yin-Yang do we want to be on.

God vs Humans Part 3: Fate vs Choice- 2

2006-01-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

Another argument in the Fate vs Choice debate would be the presence of the Devil. Again, I am not a religious scholar so I only vaguely know the details of the origins of the Devil. But knowing that he is a fallen angel, originally residing in Heaven, just goes to show that God did not pre-determine everything. If God is indeed the true essense of GOOD. Would this not render him incapable of doing evil?

There are many theories of Good vs Evil, Yin-Yang and etc. All of which ultimately say that there is a balance in this world between the two main forces and certain events are good, and certain events are evil. If God were to pre-determine both good events as well as bad, would he not cease to be pure good? What is the purpose of having the Devil/Evil force present in the world if God is the one who pre-determines what Evil does?

I do not believe that God decides what Evil does. I believe that Good and Evil are always at war within our world and each side pre-determines some events, and also provides the means and opportunites for some things to happen. But neither pre-determines ALL events.

Society is full of Hypocrites: Part 2

2005-12-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

It peeves me when I see that people are fighting to remove God from the pledge of allegiance. I am not religious, but I feel strongly about the history of this country. The forefathers did not use God's name with the intention to change everyone over to Christianity, but simply as a natural phrase of their faith. To remove it from original speeches and documents would be removing a key part of the founding fathers and our country's history.

Where would our country be if the Pilgrims had not believed in God? Would we ever have created a Constitution if our forefathers did not believe in God? A belief in God is found throughout our American History. It is disrespectful, near un-American if we remove God from those historical things that have been around since the birth of our country. As a citizen, or inhabitant of this country, one should just realize that God was an integral part of the developing history of this country and therefore is part of the reason why you are able to live here in the first place! If it hadn't been for a believe in God and religion, this country would not have been founded with the principles of freedom of speech and religion.

Be thankful that our founding fathers and many of our historical leaders held such a belief so strongly that they felt it was worth fighting for and protecting. This very attitude is what allows all these hypocrites to voice their opinions in public and to practice what they believe in..and yet they want to change it. Such alterations are not for the better, all they do is give a certain sanction of people within society a false sense of accomplishment and happiness. When in reality they should already be happy because living in America we all have the same freedom to be happy the way we want to be..provided it doesn't entail harming another person.

Living in America, what is often called the "the melting pot" you have to come to terms with the fact that you live in a country that is chock full of different people/societies. What do you really expect is going to happen when you take millions of people with varying beliefs and perspectives and put them in one space? Do you really think that it is humanly possible to keep everyone from NOT offending any other person in any way? I think not. Therefore one must UNDERSTAND that this is going to happen and come to terms with it. You can try to make changes and alterations everytime someone gets offended, but you are likely then, to offend someone else. And the cycle will continue on and on.

It is like the fable of the man, his son and their donkey. Look it up. It's moral is that you can't please everyone. And this is sooo true. There billions, (Billions!) of people living on this one single planet. How can you please each and every single one of those people?

I think that the most outspoken people fighting for the removal of God from historical speeches such as the pledge are closed minded, tunnel visioned, people who cannot see the true light and beauty of being able to be a part of this country. Perhaps they are de-sensitized to the true meaning of the United States of America and the open-door policy. You have the right to choose NOT to say God when reciting the speeches, however, I believe that no matter what your religion may be, it should not offend your god(s) if you recite the speech with the inclusion of "God" because just saying it does not make you a believer or follower of that religion. It just makes you an American for wanting to know the history of our country.

PS. I am not a natural born citizen. I was adopted from another country and received my citizenship after living here for over 7 years. I was well-educated and yes, brought up in a Christian household, but even if I were not Christian, I still believe the word God should remain steadfast in our American History and it's original speeches.

God vs Humans Part 2: Fate vs Choice

2005-11-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

It is often said, in any religion, that things are pre-ordained by the higher power. But how far does the pre-destined effect go? Is God or whomever, really deciding what clothes we'll wear the next day? Or how we get our next haircut done? These things seem awfully trivial for our higher powers to be deciding for us. Especially since there are how many billions of people on this Earth?

It is understandable that the larger picture may be pre-ordained, and that at times, the little things in life are as well...in order to reach that larger picture. But to say that every little thing has already been decided for us, it goes against something we humans treasure: free will.

It seems more logical to say that the higher power provides us with choices, paths if you will. These paths may eventually lead to the same place but in the meantime, we choose how our journey goes. It is our choices that make us who we are, and how our lives are. Otherwise we'd have to say that every person is born predetermined good or evil. And that there is no hope for redemption unless it was destined to be that way. I think many beliefs that involve balances of natures such as Yin-Yang, further support the non-predetermined idea.

Even within Christianity you can find instances that seem to show events of choice rather than pre-determination. Now I do not claim to be a biblical scholar, what I voice is simply opinions
based on common knowledge, personal reading or experiences. Take in point, Adam and Eve. God created them and put them in paradise. But in this paradise He put a forbidden tree and told them specifically not to eat the fruit of this particular tree. Does it not seem that they were given the choice to either obey or not to obey? When Eve is persuaded by the serpent to taste the fruit, was she not acting with free will which was guided (misguided) by another voice?

If God had everything pre-determined from the very beginning, what then is the point of putting a forbidden tree in paradise? Doesn't it seem like He may have been testing His new creations? To see what resulted in His giving them this thing called free will?

And then later when God becomes displeased with the way the world is... how evil it has become. He decides to wipe the slate clean save for a couple of good specimens. Doesn't this say that again He seems to be experimenting, allowing man to make mistakes using their freedom of choice?

Another commonly known story is of Lot's wife. Lot and his wife were told to flee and not to look back upon the city. But Lot's wife turns to take one last glance and becomes a pillar of salt. What would be the point of telling them to flee, if it had already been determined that she'd end up as a pillar of salt? Doesn't it make more sense that she was given a choice, and she made the mistake based on her free will?

I'm sure scholars could go on and on with instances where it seems free will reigns over fate. I've just never heard the argument ever brought up on TV or other media within my lifetime.

I believe that people tend to lean upon pre-determined paths because it is easier to explain why things happen (especially bad things) when you can pass it off as something that was meant to be because of a higher purpose or end. And I do believe that SOME things occur because of a higher purpose or plan, but definitely not ALL things. The world would be very boring and unpurposeful if we were not allowed to choose our paths. There would be no real point of us existing if there is no freedom of choice in our lives. We'd be nothing more than thinking rocks or trees that walk. We rightly treasure free will. I thank God we have it. Even if I don't wholeheartedly believe in Him altogether. I think there are force(s) out there but whether they be called God, Allah, Zeus or Osiris, etc. that is still being determined.

Friends are like gardens

2005-11-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Good friendships are fragile things and require as much care as any other fragile and precious thing.-- Randolph S. Bourne (1886-1918) American Writer

My 10 year old daughter's social life is like a soap opera. Every day you don't know whether she's friends or not friends with a particular girl or boy. Mostly the girls. She'll come home from school saying she's not friends with so 'n so anymore, but then the next day if the girl invites her over off she goes. She tells stories of how no one wants to be friends with this girl because she does this and that so she's best friends with the other girl. Then another day it'll be the other girl did this and that so now she's friends with this girl. Frankly, I don't remember my social life ever being so complicated!

I've warned her that it's best to try not to come between two friends. It is hard to be the one in the middle. But you must remain as neutral as possible. I believe it is possible to have friends in more than one group or clique. That is the way I survived high school. I had a friend or friends in just about every classification from popular or jock, to dork or geek. I was neither picked on nor expected to pick on anyone. I strongly hope that my kids can have the same or similar experience. Although I wouldn't complain if they were part of the popular clique.

Friends are often taken for granted. Once we have established a friendship we seem to feel that nothing can break that bond. But nothing can be further from the truth. A friendship is an interaction between two humans. That is, two thinking, feeling human beings. Because of this we must remember that our actions and our words can affect the friendship. Every person reacts to the world differently. Therefore we must watch what we say and do. What may seem like idle humor, can turn out to be a harmful barb to your friend(s).

Friends should be treated like gardens. Gardens, once planted, still need plenty of attention to grow strong and fruitful. Likewise so does a friendship. You must always tend to it with gentle care, kindness and love. Each time you hurt a friend it's like breaking off a branch of a plant. Over time they will recover, but it is a slow process and if you break off too many, the plant will get sick or even die. Likewise the more you hurt your friend, either verbally, emotionally or physically, you add another break to the friendship plant. And too many breaks means a lost friendship.

As well, you must realize that friendship should not be taken for granted. Just because you provide it will the "food" it needs, does not always guarantee it will thrive. Certain plants just don't grow no matter what you do. The same can happen with a friendship. Perhaps it reaches a certain point and then either doesn't grow any further or dissipates altogether.

Plus some plants can hurt you even when you tend to them lovingly, ( e.g. roses). But you know that they bear beautiful blossoms and therefore learn to touch them in such a way to avoid being hurt by their thorns. In this way too you must be wary of how you react to your friends' actions or words. Each plant/friend is different. Some bear more "thorns" than others. And although they may hold beauty within waiting to bloom, their outsides can be hurtful. A good friend knows how see around the protective exterior and nourish the beauty within.

Society is full of Hypocrites: Part 1

2005-10-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the whole world will be clean.
--Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Today’s society is highly critical of everyone within it. Everyone is more than happy to point out what everyone else is doing wrong. More and more we see groups of people banding together to shout about how other people are wrong, either in their beliefs or actions. Ok, we have the Freedom of Speech here in the great US of A, but, don’t take it too far. It’s one thing to express your own beliefs, it’s another to try to press them upon others. Freedom applies to everyone in this country. So just as much as you have the right to say what you will, or believe what you will, so does the person next to you even if it is completely the opposite of what you feel.

If people spent less time making show of their beliefs, and more time on perfecting their lives, we’d all be happier. Each of us has our own life, our own world or bubble, where you do what you choose, and believe what you feel. Because we are a social race, we must interact with other people, but that means running into people whose bubble doesn’t match our own. This is fine, as long as we don’t try to burst the other person’s bubble. As long as we stay steadfast in our own individual beliefs, than our bubbles will simply bounce off of each other, each remaining intact and strong. We can interact, and yet remain free with our own ideas. This would be ideal.

Unfortunately the majority of people in our society feel that because they have the freedom of speech, that they must use it to tell the world what they feel. Which, this is all fine and well, as long as they don’t expect everyone around them to agree. But this is usually not the case. Usually these demonstrators are out to try and change everyone else’s beliefs. This then is going to far, because now it is infringing upon other’s same right to freedom of religion, speech, beliefs etc.

Our emotions tend to drive us. When we truly believe in something we want everyone too, this is understandable, it is human. But also as human beings we must take the time to think. To realize that other people have the same rights as we do, but not the same hearts and minds, therefore our visions differ.

As well, we should always make sure that if we are going to point fingers at others, that we first check our own selves to make sure we are not doing the same thing. All too often we see people loudly prosecuting others for beliefs or actions, and yet behind their own closed doors, they hide similar beliefs or actions. We are much too concerned with reputations and appearances, which makes us hide what we really are and join with the majority to proclaim things that sound right but are not what we feel.

If everyone were to hold to their own beliefs without trying to affect others, we could be a more harmonious society.

Now granted there are exceptions, which is to be expected. Certain things that harm people do need to be changed. But I’ll go into that more later.

Creative Crazy

2005-09-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=181859&start=0

I found this discussion on TechRepublic, and I believe it warrants some thought. It ties in with the following article:

http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/050907_schizotype_creative.html

In order to come up with new ideas a creative person has to venture into the unknown, which in all essence, is the path to insanity. We must see the world in a different way otherwise new ideas would not be found. Thereby our interaction with the real world is strained to say the least since one foot is always in the creative beyond. With our attentions always thus distracted, we cannot help but be seemingly dazed or "not with it" in the real world.

If indeed we are using more of our brain than the average person, it makes you wonder what we would be capable of if we were able to use so much more of our brain, and at a balance between the two hemispheres. Sci-Fi tends to depict highly intelligent and psychic people and outer-worldly races to have uncommonly large brains. But, is it really necessary to have that much more gray matter? We currently use such a small percentage of our brains, that it leaves open the probability that greater abilities may come with greater usage. If greater creativity is created with greater usage of the right side, what would come of using a similar percentage of the left as well? If someone were able to have an equal balance between left and right AND use a larger percentage of both sides, what would they be capable of? It is unknown, but not unfathomable.

To this day the brain still has many mysteries. So I don’t think it’s unreal to believe in the possibility of psychic powers. And to clarify, when I say psychic powers I don’t mean horoscopes or fortune tellers, I mean things like empathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis and the ability to see invisible forces around us (which may or may not include departed spirits and/or the power to see events in the future). Has anyone found a true psychic or medium and tried this test on them? I’d be curious to see the results and how much brain they used.

* * * * * *

It is also interesting how creativity is linked to technology. I had no idea I was good with technology until I started working in the officeplace. But growing up I was considered highly creative and artistic. I dabbled in many crafting skills and created sculptures and other artworks. I never thought I'd be doing IT because I considered that to be a more mathematical type position, and I hated math (although I did make it all the way to Calculus before giving up on math).

Then when I started working, I found I had a knack for fixing machines, computers, phones and other techie stuff. And I enjoyed it! (and I must say to this day I still don’t see how algebra fits into my line of work). Thus started a career in administration, IS and IT.

So in reality tech work is an artform. One, because you have to build solutions or networks, which involves imagination as well as logic and creativity. And two, because working with technology also involves problem solving on an almost constant basis. Problem solving is best done when thinking outside of the box, and perhaps, means using more of your brain than the average person. So it is no surprise to me that techies tend to be a little eccentric. We probably are using more of our creative brains and therefore have a different perception of the world.

And as for geniuses, everyone pretty much knows that they are using more of their brains. But which side? There are creative geniuses such as Frank Lloyd Wright and then there are more technical/mathematical geniuses like Albert Einstein. Going on basic assumptions, Wright probably used more of his right side while Einstein more of the left. But does that mean Einstein was also borderline crazy? Perhaps not schizophrenic, since that has shown to be a more right brain thing, but another kind of crazy? I’d like to see continued research on this stuff.

Half Full or Half Empty?

2005-09-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

The world is good-natured to people who are good natured.
-- William Makepeace Thackeray

The world is what you make of it. This is true. If you strive to perceive the world in a brighter light, the world will be a better place. Perspective really does affect your way of life. Happiness is not given to you, it is something you strive for. And part of that is making the effort to find the joy around you.

"Every cloud has a silver lining" You’ve probably heard that a million times, but again it’s something to live by. If you take the time to find the little piece of good in every situation, event, or person, you will end up surrounded by silver. Often the silver lining is hard to find, our emotions tend to steer us to darkness, but by using your mind, you can seek out the hidden good.

Keeping a positive perspective is not only good for you own physical and emotional health, but it helps those around you as well. If you continually point out the good in life, people will begin to see it for themselves.

Some people say that optimistic people are often unrealistic, living on cloud 9 because they hold hope at times when all seems hopeless or believe in things that seem impossible. Optimism is not fantasy. Optimists seek to find the good in everything, this is a completely real and logical action that actually works. As far as hope and faith, optimists may seem to have more of these things than other people, especially when times are hardest. It does not mean that they are being unreal, it simply means that based on experience (because they’ve always found the good in things), they know that some good will come out of whatever happens.

C'est la vie!

Karma is a Force and a Perspective

2005-09-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

They were talking about Karma on the radio this morning because of that new show coming out tonight on NBC (My Name is Earl).
It seemed the 2 women on the radio believed in Karma (what goes around comes around) and the guy just said it was all coincidences.

It made me think.

Karma is a way of looking at incidents that are very coincidental. As the woman host said "Grateful hearts are happy hearts". If you look at a coincidence and take it as good karma rewarding you, it will tend to make you happier than just perceiving it as a simple coincidence. In this way Karma is a Perspective.

But to delve deeper into what Karma is...

Many believe that if you do something good, something good will happen to you in return. But I think it is a bit more complex than that. I don't think that for every good thing there is another, (or likewise for bad things), but rather every good thing you do attracts a little more good karma to you. The more good karma you attract to yourself, the higher your chance of having something good happen to you or for you. It is a force, or aura that builds up around you. I think we begin at a balance and then for every action we do, a little bit of karma, good or bad depending on the action, adds on.

Therefore the more good things you do, the better off you will be because you will attract good karma wherever you go. (Haven’t you ever noticed how that genuinely happy person seems to emanate joy? It rubs off on you.)

The karma you carry also affects those around, just as their karma will affect you. If you are surrounded by lots of good karma people, you will tend to feel better…their good karma rubs off on you, adding good karma to your own. Likewise if you hang around a lot of negative, bad karma people, you have the tendency to feel down yourself.

The world is full of forces. Call them luck, karma, fate what have you. But they all are based on the Yin-Yang philosophy. Good and bad. Positive and Negative. Positives attract positives, and negatives attract negatives. If you try to be a positive person and do good things, positive forces will be more inclined to stay near you. And likewise for negativity.

Ce n'est pas?

Life is a Mountain Range; Success comes after MANY tries

2005-09-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Babe Ruth hit more home runs than anyone; he also struck out more often than anyone.
-- Anonymous

One of the most important lessons in life is that if you wish to succeed, you must first fail.
In order to achieve our goals in life, we must put in the efforts with the expectation to succeed, but with the understanding that we may also fail. And then if we do fail, we must not get discouraged, but instead try again.

If at first we cannot climb the mountain before us, we must try again for reaching the top is ever important if we are to continue on with our life.

Our lives are filled with mountains
Some are big and some are small
To live the most fruitful life
We must conquer them all
Often we try to climb the slope
But slip and fall back down
We may wallow in self pity
And carry ourselves with a frown
But we must try again and again
To reach the mountain’s crown
If we don’t get across the mountain
And reach the valley next
We’ll never get anywhere in life
Or become our very best
The mountains each range in height
The valleys each range in depth
We beam with pride on top of the peaks
But in the lowest valleys we’re bereft
Lost in the valley’s dark shadows
Many valleys though, are not that deep
And are wide flat meadows of grass
For life often has uneventful points
Through these we travel easy and fast
Some people seem to have shortcuts
Their mountains have quick tunnels
But beware if you find these caves
Yours could be a dark and twisted funnel
For not every tunnel is a shortcut
Some are just a winding maze
Making you lost within your mountain
Until you can find your way through the haze
Even they who seem to have it easy
Have their own mountains to climb
Even if now they are in a wide valley
The next mountain is only a matter of time
Life is not just a walk down a path
It is an adventure filled with tribulations
But we become better people for them
And we mustn’t overlook every jubilation
We have our many ups
We have our many downs
Despite every trial we have
The joys of life abound.
-- KO

Prejudice and Racism are Immortal

2005-09-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

With the recent Katrina disaster, the issue of racism has once again reared its ugly head. Why? Because the disaster just happened to occur where the population was primarily black. The government has been criticized for not responding quickly enough to the disaster. And relief did seem to take some time to reach the populace. But is it really an issue of race? This is the biggest natural disaster the US has experience in quite some time. How can we blame the slow relief efforts on race when it is clearly lack of experience?
You can train people and groups in how to respond, but if they’ve never actually had to do it you cannot count on things going the way they are planned. Plans look great on paper, but in reality every situation cannot be covered by a plan. Not every person has the natural instinct which allows them to think quickly and clearly in an emergency. If you were to be thrown into the middle of chaos, how do you think you’d fare? It is one thing to be trained in how to organize and handle people in panic, but have you actually tried to calm a person who has just lost everything and is desperately trying to get their family to safety? Think about it. People were actually shooting AT rescuers during this disaster. Do you think rescuers were trained for that?
Racism and prejudice is an issue that I believe has gone for far too long. It is quite incredulous that black people today are still fighting for restitution of the crimes of yesteryear. Those blacks that fight for these compensations only make a false reputation for their race. There are plenty of black people who are capable, hard-working, and unprejudiced. But they are overshadowed by those who choose to shout for restitution for crimes committed against their ancestors. It is a scapegoat. An easy way out for those who want some fast cash. There is no logical reason why the government today should have to pay for the crimes of the forefathers. Times and thinking were much different back then. Times and thinking have changed. Don’t dwell on the past, but live in the present. And look to the future.
We must understand that this world is made up of many, many races, cultures, ethnicities, beliefs, religions etc. etc. These differences in appearance, visions and thinking are what make us all unique. If the world was not filled with such diversity, such a dull world it would be. There is no force or rule that says any race is above any other. It is within our own individual minds that the choice is made to accept or deny the rights of others. Over and over again in the world’s history there are people who prove that no one is inferior. Many with crippling disabilities have overcome such obstacles to prove they can lead a healthy and active lifestyle as well as anyone else. So why would color of the skin be any different? Why can we not overcome these visual aspects and see the fact that we are ALL human beings?
Granted, prejudices are passed on from generation to generation. Whites and blacks are equally to blame for this. If the parents cannot forgive and forget, than the children will absorb this and carry it on to their children. In order for racism to be completely wiped out we’d have to change the thinking of every human in the country and of course, this is an impossible task. So unfortunately, prejudice continues to live on within our society.
Unfortunately, there are also other factors that carry on the prejudices. Such as the fact that many of the minority races in the US originate from poorer countries where gang violence rules and crime is high. Often these ways of life are brought along into the US. As well, there are probably more minorities in poverty than there are white. The lack of opportunity for these people force them into gangs and lives of crime. Which, of course, plays badly on the overall reputation of their race. Those who are violent and cause trouble are brought into focus far more often than those who have worked hard and overcome their obstacles to form a better life for themselves, and often, their community.
I do not know how we will ever be able to help all of those in poverty. I don’t think it possible to wipe it out completely. Therefore there will always be those forced into lives of crime to survive. And there will always be these violet misgivings that will overshadow those of the minority races that do give to society.
It is so unfortunate. Do your part, and don’t carry the burden of prejudice on your shoulders.

Religion vs. Chaos; God vs Gods vs Humans

2005-08-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

Religion has been around forever. Or at least for as long as man could write. Why? Religion keeps order. It gives us boundaries and reasons to behave. Reasons that have far more power than laws made by government. Laws are made by man, and reasons to break those laws are easily rationalized. Rules created and enforced by Religion have a much stronger hold because they were made and enforced by a much higher power. Usually an unseen, much unknown powerful force or forces. Revealed to few and working in ways mysterious to most. The consequences and rewards for behavior in life are eternal in death, and therefore create a much stronger incentive than the punishments or rewards for manmade laws.

Humans have a power, called Faith. Faith allows humans to believe in something(s) they have never seen, touched or heard. That belief then allows them to rationalize their actions and choices in life based on the rules set down by the higher power(s).

Religions are as diverse as our cultures. Which brings up the question, which one is right? Every religious believer says that their religion is the right one. But who is to say for sure? Is it really true that because one culture doesn’t follow a certain religion that they are to be eternally damned in the afterlife? How can one whole race be damned because of what they believe in? Because of these questions you have to wonder what validity there is behind the claims of afterlife, reincarnation and the like.

As well, how can 1 religion condemn another? Whether you believe in one god or many, no one really has any physical evidence of these gods. There are stories, believed to be true accounts, legends, myths and books. But these were all created by man. Who can say what the driving force behind the creators was? Humans have an incredible capacity for imagination. They can come up with a reason or story for why things are they way they are. Why is it not possible that someone came up with an idea an it seemed to make sense, so everyone else agreed?

I could go on and on about this, but I tire of the subject right now. I'll touch on this again someday. Right now I believe that there are forces around us that we cannot see that affect the way we are. I don't know if I believe that it is one all knowing force. I believe we do have a large control over our own destinies based on the choices we make in our lives. I believe religion serves a good purpose in society, to help create and maintain order and some degree of civility.

Protection vs. Privacy

2005-08-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

As we become increasingly fearful of terrorist attacks and other such things we continue to seek protection. Our government, in its efforts to provide that protection is beginning to resort to means that teeter precariously on the fence of privacy.
Is it not ironic that in seeking to protect ourselves we must now open wide the doors to our lives. To protect ourselves from the unknown, we must make ourselves well-known. Is this truly progress? Or are we actually taking steps backwards? Our government, our country was founded on principles of freedom. Do we not release a little of that freedom in handing over our privacy?
Ok, so maybe that sounds a little overcautious, perhaps even a little paranoid. But in all actuality we are taking the first steps through a doorway which leads to further and deeper invasions of privacy. These things need to be reined in at the beginning of the tunnel, otherwise there’s no room to turn around and come back.
Sure, they’re only recording physical aspects like fingerprints and retinal scans to better identify you now, but how soon will they ask to be able to know everything about you, just to make sure you aren’t hiding something in your past which will lead to a threat in the future?
Remember, with everything being networked nowadays, it really only takes one thing from you (say a fingerprint for example), to be able to pull up so much about you. Your every move can even be tracked and traced because of GPS and gadgets in our cars, cell phones and PDA’s. Ok, we may be safe from 90% of the population because most people don’t know how to access that information. But who’s to say that you will not become a victim of one of those in the 10% who do know? All it takes is one person to make you a victim.
As well, if we continue to allow implementations of policies that allow the government, security agencies and police to access our life information, somewhere down the line it will be used against us.
We are all human, including those who run our government. And in being human we have just as much chance of being evil as we do in being good. Even good people make bad decisions, and can be influenced by bad people. We can open up our lives in the name of protection assuming that the information will be used for the good intentions it is supposed to be. But we also open ourselves up to the chance, nay the very real possibility, that someone with bad intentions will use that information for their own purposes. Or that many people with bad intentions will use that information for their own purposes. It doesn’t have to be done on a large scale to be a problem. If someone is victimizing someone else using these means, it becomes a problem. Because how many others will get the same idea?
Also, if our lives depend upon our identification through a computer system, how many times will someone lose their whole life because of a computer glitch? (Remember computer are made by humans!)If we lose the human aspect of trust we take that risk of one minor bug taking away our whole life.
Such a topic could be argued forever. I sincerely hope that my children, or even their future children do not have to live in a society where everyone must be verified by a computer before they can interact or do transactions. Or where the government can punch in your name and know exactly where you are at that moment and whether you ate a hot dog or pizza for lunch!

Power corrupts

2005-08-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

If you ever attain a position of power, whether it be in politics, administration or the community, keep in mind that power has the natural tendency to go to one's head.

Once you are in a position where you have control over what other people do or what happens to them, be very very careful. It so easy to lose sight of the fact that they are people, just like you. They have lives, they have minds, and many have families which can be affected by your decisions. Never ever take their loyalty, or their dependency for granted. People will submit to tyranny, but only for so long. They think, therefore there will be rebellion. You may use your power to attempt to squelch such rebellions, but people are smart. They will find a way to form a union of like minds and eventually a coup d'etat despite all your fail safes. Granted there are tyrannies which have lasted for years, but mind you, those are exceptions. They're lucky for one, and for another most of those are in countries where education and money is very limited.

Never dismiss a single person as nothing important. All it takes is one. Remember within every person there lies a heart and a brain. The heart gives the power and courage and the mind will find the means. Every time you nonchanlantly or coldly dismiss someone, you risk lighting the match to the fuse of your downfall. You must keep alive the realization that every person is a thinking person, no matter how naive or ignorant they may seem.

Also remember that humans are also best controlled through the simple means. Positive rewards will ensure loyalty and good behavior, negativity will breed dissension. Everything you say matters. A single positive word to the lowest worker can ensure you have a good foundation to stand on. A single negative word can knock it down. People will not hold you on your pedastal unless you give them good reason too. If you treat your people with respect and dignity, they will in turn give you the same. This pedastal is strong and stable. If you try to control your people through fear and ruthlessness, you are forever standing on a shaky pedastal because no one is holding it up for you.

Don't ever let yourself slip. All it takes is one time and then it's another, and then another. Always, always make your decisions remembering that everyone is a living, thinking human being that can be hurt or encouraged by you. If you ever forget this for even one instance, you lose your footing on your peadastal. Remember..it only takes one match to light a fuse.

Power corrupts...counteract it with love, respect, honor and dignity...ALWAYS.

Life is Science Fiction

2005-08-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

If you take a moment to reflect upon the current technology we use today as well as life in general and compare it to science fiction (novels, short stories, movies, etc.) it is uncanny and rather scary how close to fiction we are.

Look at Game Shows. Stephen King wrote the story The Running Man where society has become so obsessed with game shows that the only way for a destitute person to get money was to participate in one of these shows. If you look at what's on TV today, a large percentage of it is reality shows, including reality game shows. Granted we have rules and regulations that ensure people are not seriously injured or killed. But we do seem to be precariously close to that line. How much would it take to cross over that line? Would we as a society welcome it as the new exciting fad?

So many writers envisioned the future to be filled with computers, robots and gadgets that were small and totally portable. Look around you right now. How many computers can you spot? How many portable little gadgets do you own? Communication can be done instantaneously worldwide with emails to computers, PDA's and even cell phones. There is a infinite source of information and communication called the World Wide Web which is accessible at any time through various devices including computers, PDA's, and cell phones. Wherever you turn there is an ATM with instant access to bank accounts, machines which are ever connected to the Internet, networked systems that keep companies in touch with their whole operation, nationally or worldwide! Factories are filled with robotic systems to help out with assembly and other such things. Computers control sooo much in our lives. How many of us pay bills or bank online now? How many shop for things online? How many store photos online? Our whole life can be accessed at the touch of a few keys!

And gadgets....cell phones used to be huge..remember that? Watch a few films from the early 80's if you can't remember what they looked like. Now there's the Motorola Razor...super thin phones! Handheld computers...called PDA's. Digital cameras that can store 100's of images and then transfer them to a computer or printer at the touch of a button. Satellite and cable tv that offer programs when we want them. DVR which allows us to have almost complete control over what we want to watch and when. Microwaves which cook foods almost instantly. Did you know you can order a pizza online? Dishwashers and washing machines which have PROGRAMS to help us clean better. And cars...that can connect you to live help through a little blue button. And that live help can unlock your car...REMOTELY.

Also now with all the terror scares they are pushing for those biometric id's in all the major airports. Think about it. Haven't you seen in more than one sci fi film, where everyone in the future has an implanted id which automatically identifies them and opens their whole life file to security systems EVERYWHERE they go? Thinking about that opens up the privacy issue, but that's a whole other discussion.

Also in other discussions...the morality of clones. More and more animals are being cloned. And attempts at human cloning have been done. Where do we cross the line of morality in our search for better medical technology?

It's just mind-boggling to think about how much we really do depend on machines, computers, and gadgets. Everything has a disk, a memory, a chip, a program. What would we do if an artificial intelligence suddenly arose from all our tinkering in technology and decided we were a nuisance (also been done in sci fi stories)? Think about it. It's possible...Anything is possible.

Dove Ads

2005-08-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

I commend Dove for using average build women in their recent ads. I can't believe people are giving them flack about how "they don't want to see chunky women". If it weren't for the super slim models and entertainment stars, the general public's idea of the ideal woman wouldn't be so discriminatory toward average women. Our poor daughters these days have such an unrealistic image to have to live up to. The AVERAGE women is not that slim, or if they are slim in childhood, they don't stay that way in adulthood. Or if they are chunky in childhood they may slim up in adulthood, but during their teen years will have to endure endless persecution by their peers.

It is not fair to our children to be compared to the minority and pressured into being something their body is not naturally inclined to be.

For my daughter I only hope that she carries on healthy habits, and not become obsessed with looking like a model.